Book Review – January 2023
… a personal selection dredged from years of seeking out and listening to obscure and difficult music; music that is profound but which was made for reasons which the creators and performer are often at pains to properly explain.
Gathering of the Tribe is a series of books by Mark Goodall in which he explores music and soundscapes which are capable of triggering altered states and mystical experiences. Each volume comprises a series of essays examining records selected from his personal collection. Volume 1, Acid, focuses on music and psychedelic drugs. This second volume, Landscape, takes as its premise the powerful effect that a particular landscape, be it urban or rural, can have on a creative mind.
The albums discussed are mainly from artists most of us would regard as obscure and esoteric, although better known works by John Cage, Basil Kirchin and early Pink Floyd are also featured. It is difficult to write about music, and writing about the kind of music that Goodall himself concedes is ‘obscure and difficult’ is even more of a challenge. The great success of this collection of essays, however, is that makes you want to go out and track down these recordings and listen to them.
Goodall’s selection of music is impossible to categorise, other than the inspiration 0f ‘landscape’ that he suggests they all share. Jazz, rock, folk, symphonic music, eastern music and electronica are all present, together with found sounds and field recordings.
Works discussed:
Barney Wilen – Auto Jazz: Tragic Destiny Of Lorenzo Bandini (MPS, 1968)
Basil Kirchin – Worlds Within Worlds (Columbia, 1971/Trunk, 2019)
Ian Humberstone / David Chatton Barker – Theo Brown & The Folklore Of Dartmoor (Folklore Tapes, 2014)
François Bayle – Jeîta Ou Murmure Des Eaux (Philips, 1970)
Gavin Bryars – The Sinking Of The Titanic (Obscure Records, 1975)
Harold Budd – Abandoned Cities (Cantil, 1984)
John Cage – In A Landscape (Catalyst, 1994)
Loscil – City Hospital (Wist Rec, 2013)
Pandit Pran Nath – Earth Groove (Douglas, 1968)
Pink Floyd – Pink Floyd Live At Pompeii (Director Adrian Maben, 1971)
R. Murray Schafer – The Vancouver Soundscape (Ensemble Productions, 1973)
Richard Hill – Chanctonbury Ring (Pye, 1978)
Virginia Astley – From Gardens Where We Feel Secure (Happy Valley Records, 1983)
A very welcome inclusion by Goodall is to illustrate each essay with the vinyl album cover of the work discussed. This includes the front cover and, crucially, the back cover, including the sleeve notes and credits. For those of us brought up in the vinyl age, sitting (cross-legged) carefully studying the sleeve was part of the ritualistic pleasure of listening to an album. Unfortunately, with the size of the book (16.5cm x 16.5cm), the back covers reproduced are very difficult to read, but I’m sure this was an enforced economic decision rather than an artistic one.
Notwithstanding that, this is an absorbing work that is both passionate and erudite. I look forward to reading further volumes.
Mark Goodall
Mark Goodall is an author and academic who teaches and writes about film. He is also a musician and composer, experimental filmmaker and has worked as a journalist, bookseller, community artist, printer and cheesemonger.
Another great book review Bobby. Copy duly ordered. Music & landscape do seem entwined at times.
Thanks Sandy. At £13.99 for 100 pages it’s a tad expensive, but you’re supporting a great small publisher and getting some truly unique content.